Ranma 1/2 used without permission Spiderman used without permission ==================================================== Ranma 1/2: Amazing Spiderman Issue Eight: Lessons (part one) ==================================================== Pao Leung stared at his daughter's sleeping form, which was lost amidst the thick down comforters of the bed. Her face was a study in the innocence of sleep, like an oriental angel in slumber. The darkness was scarcely held at bay by the small lamp that rested on the night table beside the bed, bathing Lan in its soft glow. The relief he felt was palpable, as if the weight of the universe had been lifted from his shoulders. Even the fact that he now had both cases paled in comparison to having his daughter returned to him unharmed. He could have reclaimed the cases at any time, but he would never have been able to get his daughter back. "How is she?" said a quiet voice from behind. "She's sleeping well, Wu Long." Fixer stepped up beside him, his feet treading silently on the carpet. Leung could feel the other man's relief over the gap between them, though whether it was from having Lan back safely or from having been able to accomplish his task successfully he was uncertain. "That is good news. Doctor Octavius reports that the contents of the cases are undamaged, and that his experiments should be completed within the year at the latest." "Anything else?" "Yes. Doctor Ping reports that construction on the Black Widow is nearing completion." "That can wait." "Sir?" "I want to wait until Lan is safely out of the country before I renew my efforts to exterminate Spiderman," Leung replied. "I do not know if he is indeed working for Raizo Yamata, but I do know that the damnable man is very unpredictable. I will not take any more chances with my daughter's life." "I understand, sir. But will sending her back to America be such a good idea? She would be safer here, with you." "No, here she will be directly in the line of fire. In America, at least she will be out of the Yakuza's reach. They will not expend the effort of trying to pull off an international kidnapping. The resulting shitstorm would be too much for them to even consider it." "As you wish, sir. I will increase the bodyguards, and replace those old failures with our best men." "Very good, Fixer. Is there anything else?" "No, sir." "I want to be alone with my daughter, now." "Yes, sir." He heard Long turn on his heel, the sounds of his footfalls barely audible in the shadows. "Wu Long." "Sir?" he replied, stopping just before the door. "Thank you for bringing Lan back to me safely." "Of course." With that, Long stepped out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him. =========================================================== Hikaru stood before the open furnace door, the cloying heat thickening the air and threatening to choke him. Sweat beaded on his brow, unable to evaporate and making the stuffy conditions even worse. The lone bare bulb which hung from the ceiling did little to banish the shadows that made the furnace room home, shadows that the light of the sun would never touch. He raised his right hand, holding a red and blue bundle of cloth toward the roaring fire. It would be so easy, just a quick toss and his life as Spiderman would be officially over. End of story. Simply cast it to the flames and be done with the whole business. Sure. Easy. Then why was he having trouble doing it? As he stared into the fire, his brain shouted a hundred different reasons not to throw it all away. What if he needed it? How would he win Akane's heart? What if... Gosunkugi violently squelched his mind's ardent protests. If he hadn't started putting on the costume, then he would never have gotten mixed up with the mafia. He wouldn't have gotten Nabiki sniffing around for some juicy secret she would then use to milk him for everything she could. His life had been far simpler when he was just a geek that nobody knew or cared about. He didn't have to worry about anyone aside from himself. But what about Nabiki? his mind returned. You know that they'll still be after her! So? Let Ranma handle it. He can take a bunch of Yaks. Are you kidding? Ranma's as dumb as a rock! Do you think they'll really bother attacking HIM? They're after Nabiki, and they'll take her when she's alone. They've done it before! If Nabiki's even half as smart as she acts, then she'll be looking for them to try again. Will you listen... "NO!" Gosunkugi started at the sound of his own voice echoing through the tiny chamber. How much of that had he been saying aloud? Feh, one more reason to get rid of the damn costume once and for all. With an angry shout, he tossed the bundle of clothing through the small cast iron door to the furnace. "That's right," he muttered, "burn to ashes you son of a bitch. And let the wind carry you out of my life the way it carried you in." He stared transfixed into the flames for a few moments after, feeling an inexplicable sensation of... loss?... as the costume burned into ash to drift out of the exhaust with the rest of the debris. Gosunkugi closed the door to the furnace and turned toward the stairs leading to the exit. This was the right thing. He had to get rid of it.... didn't he? ======================================================== Oh, man, how much homework did I miss doing all that webslinging? Gosunkugi thought as he took his desk, dreading how his grades were doubtlessly looking. One more thing Spiderman had been responsible for. Well, no more of that, he thought as students began filing into the small sophomore room. The sounds of mindless chatter increased to fill the space as most students stood around discussing their weekends. Gosunkugi paid them no heed until the bell rang to signal the start of class. The others reluctantly took their seats as the teacher strode into the room. "I hope you all enjoyed your weekend," he said as he set down the sheaf of papers he carried in. "Hai, sensei," the students choroused. "Before we begin, allow me to introduce a new student to Sophomore Class B, Miku Tachibana." Every head turned toward the back of the room, where a girl rose from her desk to step to the head of the class. A flowing mane of dark auburn hair streamed down the back of her blue school dress, the hemline of the fabric moving gracefully with each step. A pair of doe-like eyes rested above her pert nose, just below the bangs of her hair. Gosunkugi found himself staring, his eyes catching hers only briefly before she passed. As she neared the front, he heard the whispers start. "Wonder where she's from?" "Does she have a boyfriend?" "Try her, man!" "Miss Tachibana has recently transferred here from Gedo High, so let's all give her a warm Furinkan High welcome!" The students greeted their new classmate, while Gosunkugi looked down at his desk. She was nothing next to Akane... right? Glancing back up, he wasn't so sure. Stop it! Either way, you wouldn't have a chance in hell with her! ======================================================== Ranma felt the rough bark of the tree against his back through the thin material of his shirt as he leaned back against it, the cool grass cushioning his legs. He took a deep breath of the sweet afternoon air, letting it out with a contented sigh. Life was good. "What are you so happy about?" Akane asked across from him. "Listen. Hear that?" "Hear what?" "Exactly! It's quiet! No battle cries, no fighitng, just background stuff!" "NIHAO!" The saccharine sweet voice shook him to the core as a purple blur materialized next to him with a soft thump accompanied by the smell of fresh ramen. "Shampoo make special deluxe ramen just for Ranma!" I just HAD to go and jinx it, didn't I? he thought irritably as Shampoo and Akane traded their best glares. "What violent pervert girl do here?!" "What does it LOOK like?!" "Hey, Ranchan! I... What's goin' on here?" "Oh, Ranma-sama, fear not for thy one true love has come!" "Back off, flower-girl!" "Make me, peasant!" "Shampoo give food to husband!" "Shut up, bimbo!" "Who Ukyo call bimbo?!" "You!" "Perhaps it is time to teach you harridans some manners!" "Ranma, what are you doing?" Akane asked, finally noticing him furiously beating his head against the trunk of the tree. "Ranma think he woodpecker?" Having left a permanent dent in the wood, Ranma finally decided that he'd had enough and felt it to be time to execute the Saotome Secret Technique; run like hell. At least it was more useful than that whole Crouch of the Wild Tiger crap. With a burst of manly strength, Ranma turned and ran like a girl. "Ranchan, wait!" "Airen!" "Ranma-sama!" "You jerk, get back here!" At least I'm still a guy, he thought mere seconds before he felt the cold water drench him to the skin. This wasn't happening, this wasn't happening... "SWEETO!" cried a shriveled bolt of perversion as it glomped onto his... err, her chest. "GET OFF ME, YA FREAK!" Ranma cried, ripping the ancient lech from her bosom. Unfortunately, she didn't notice the sound of ripping fabric, nor the sudden draft until the wolf whistles and cat calls reached her ears. "GAH!" "Come to papa, babies!" "DIE, YOU SHRIVELLED OLD FART!" "THERE HE IS!" came a female shout from behind Ranma. "GET HIM!" She chanced a look backward, spotting the massive dust cloud rising skyward long before making out the shadows of a mob of extremely angry female students falling in behind the other four after his hide, each brandishing various pieces of sports equipment in an overly frightening manner. "To be chased by so many nubile young girls! Bliss!" "SHUT UP, GOAT!" Things had right quickly gone from fine to SNAFU, then to TARFU, and then all the way down to FUBAR. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Much as she wanted to, booting the demented dwarf into the stratosphere wasn't an option. Running from a horde of angy girls with Happosai in one hand and the other covering her... assets... simply made for a difficult enough time. Oh, but she WOULD make him pay for this. Oh, yes, she would. Hikaru Gosunkugi stared in awe at the receding storm of dust, the shouts of the female contingent of Furinkan fading into the distance. Several boys lay scattered across the courtyard, unconscious from nosebleeds and the indiscriminate use of hockey sticks from the now-vanished crowd. The chiming of the bell signalled the end of lunch for what few were still conscious. As some students stooped to carry the more unfortunate ones, Gosunkugi found himself thinking of a battlefield after the war. Man, all that was missing was some guy shouting, "MEDIC!" at the top of his lungs. Yep, things are now officially back to normal, he thought as he walked away from the carnage. Glad to be back. Nabiki rewound the film in her camera, an expensive Nikkon professional model complete with a telephoto lens and an excellent feature for taking motion photography. Those shots could get her a bundle on the net from those drooling idiots who kept mailing her alternate account for more snaps of their favorite redhead. If Ranma only knew how many people around the world got their rocks off from risque pictures of his girl half... If Nabiki had her way, he never would. Kami only knew what he'd do if he ever found out. She stuffed the camera back into its case, casting a glance at the scattered forms of unconscious students. Yep, Ranma definitely had a knack for drawing insanity from all angles. Oftentimes, it proved to be rather profitable. Her raptor's gaze fell on the retreating form of Hikaru Gosunkugi as he made his way back to the entrance. There was another matter of importance for her. She still had to figure out his relationship to Spiderman, and his constant stonewalling had become very annoying of late. She strode toward Furinkan's doors, eyes locked on Gosunkugi's back. What was the connection? Nabiki paused as Hikaru went rigid, his head sweeping around as if he were looking for something. She immediately diverted her gaze, changing direction as she focused on a rather interesting patch of grass. Wonder what wild hair just got stuck up his ass? she thought as she took a roundabout course to the steps. It was almost like he knew I was watching him. =================================================== Hikaru Gosunkugi stood out in the cool November air, attempting to shrink into the slightly threadbare windbreaker. The sky was clear and blue save for trails left by various commuter jets that crossed the air. Other students slogged toward the main exit alongside him, thankful that another day at Furinkan was at last over. I thought being normal again would feel good, he thought as he made his way to the gates. Ah, who am I kidding? I'm not normal. I've never been normal. And I've still got those damn powers. Gosunkugi wondered why he couldn't be like everyone else. He didn't want to be like Ranma, drawing trouble from all angles the way he did as Spiderman. He didn't want to be a jock, or a genius. Just a plain, ordinary guy... "Ow!" "Oh, sorry!" Gosunkui opened his eyes as he regained his balance. She stood in front of him, eyes cast down with embarrassment written all over her face. "Don't worry about it," he replied. "Miku, right?" "Yeah." She looked at him quizically, as if trying to place him. "Hey, you're in my class, aren't you?" "Yeah. I'm Hikaru. Hikaru Gosunkugi." "Hikaru," she said. "I like that name." "R-really?" Gosunkugi was stunned. Someone not only recognized him... sort of... but also liked his name? "Um..." she looked down again, clearly even more embarrassed. "Anyway, I'm sorry about that, Miku. I wasn't watching where I was going." "It's no problem." She looked back up at him with those doe eyes. "So... I guess I'll see you tomorrow." "Yeah. See you tomorrow." Gosunkugi watched as Miku turned and left with the other students. He stood in place for a few seconds as the realization hit him. He'd just had a conversation with a girl. A rather attractive girl. And she had paid him a compliment. He continued his trek to the outside with a small smile on his face. Things were starting to look up! ============================================================= "Fixer, something isn't right." "Sir?" "Spiderman." Leung leaned back in his chair, a bowl of wonton soup in his left hand. The liquid contained in the ceramic was warm against the flesh, the smell tantalizing. "He's been far too quiet of late." "There have been no reports of Spiderman showing up anywhere in our territory, sir." "Not a peep out of him. Why is that?" "Perhaps he has learned that we are looking for him?" "Perhaps," Leung replied. If that was so, then perhaps he was indeed working for Raizo. The Oyabun could have provided the information. Or maybe... "Something is amiss." "I agree, Fixer." ==================================================================